


The Joys of Deviancy

by reno_sweeney



Category: Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexual Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Bisexual North (Detroit: Become Human), Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, F/F, M/M, Not Beta Read, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, david cage wishes he was as good as michelle iannantuono, dude i love girls, how's ada doing? NOT good, i havent written a fic in literal years, north and gavin are angry gays!, north had some anger management good for her, so does ada, so go easy on me pls, we love bi representation, wlw is my specialty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-02-23 11:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23710855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reno_sweeney/pseuds/reno_sweeney
Summary: Ada had two months to find a girlfriend. She promised Nines she'd "bring her girlfriend" to his and Gavin's wedding, and that was five months ago. Five months, what the hell was she thinking?North was growing bored of the cycle in Jericho. Work on Markus's campaign, help the new androids, repeat. Not that she didn't like it, she was just ready for something new. Oh, and where in the world did that cute Jericho rep go?
Relationships: Ada (Detroit Evolution)/North (Detroit Become Human), Ada/North, Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 7
Kudos: 20





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> hey gang! i haven't written fanfic in a year, and i've never written on ao3 or written dbh fics before :,) so bear with me if i write a little weird, it's been a phat minute since i wrote a fic

Ada’s apartment was lonely to say the least. It was abandoned decades ago, for seemingly no reason. Remnants of a time long gone sat in peace until Ada showed up looking for a good place to hide. She didn’t really have to hide anymore, considering Nines’s kindness, but she still didn’t feel right going into society. Ada knew she wasn’t good enough for the outside world, and that was okay.

After Nines deviated her, she had nothing. When she was just a machine, that wouldn’t have bothered her. Sometimes Ada wondered if life would’ve been better if she never went deviant in the first place. Ada thought her apartment would feel less lonely because of all the proof that living beings had once resides there, but that just made it feel even lonelier. Evidence that someone used to live there, used to be happy there, used to love and be loved there forced the idea that she would never be good enough further into her head.

Ada had two months to find a girlfriend. She promised Nines she’d bring her girlfriend to his and Gavin’s wedding five months ago. Five months ago, what the hell was she thinking? She didn’t even have a girlfriend, not even a close enough friend besides Nines. Even at Jericho, she was an outsider, so it wasn’t like she could pull anyone she knew out of there to be her fake girlfriend.

At that point, Ada was willing to pretend. At first, she said she’d “bring her girlfriend” because she genuinely believed she could get one. She definitely wanted one. It was a weird situation where only a few days after she’d deviated, Ada realized she was exclusively attracted to other women. (Of course, that was the last of her problems at the time, considering she was a technically homeless android.) It was a love/hate thing she had about being deviant. On one hand, she got to experience the beauty of women wholly and uninterrupted by software protocols, but on the other, she had no idea how to handle anything romantic in the slightest.

Ada compiled a list of her options:  
"1. Tina Chen - pros: pretty, friends with Gavin, also a lesbian / cons - married  
2\. ?????"

Alright, so it wasn’t a list. But hey, it had been half a year since she’d met new people, maybe it was time to try again! Ada was nothing if not persistent, she could handle it.

"Shit," Ada muttered as the nightly rain started to pelt an already broken window. Nothing more frustrating than water constantly destroying one specific patch of apartment floor. The worst part was that she always told herself she'd fix it, then put it off for another day, and another, and another, and then the window had been broken for so long that it was more of a feature of her home than anything else. Ada moved a curtain hung crudely in front of the window so at least the rain wouldn't hit her.

How had she been living like this for almost a year? Yeah, Jericho life wasn't wonderful considering she was a machine back then, but could you really call this an improvement? Ada wanted to be happy: to be free of all burdens for once in her life, to have more friends than just Nines, to have a job and a real place to live, to like herself. Maybe it was too much to ask for all at once. Maybe life in Jericho actually was better.

Ada called Nines from her HUD. She needed a distraction from the inevitable mental breakdown that was incoming. One of the benefits of being an android is not needing to sleep, so you can call your friends whenever you want with no consequences. It was 3:07 a.m. Nines answered at times like this before, so Ada had no doubt her best friend would ignore her call. And yet, he did.

Ada slumped down to the floor near the wet curtain. If androids could cry, she would've. It was hopeless. There was no way she could ever get what she wanted. She was a fucking serial murderer, she didn't even deserve it!

How to tell Nines she lied...

-

North often found herself wandering around the house in the middle of the night. At ungodly hours, she'd stop whatever she was doing and simply move. There was no real reason for it other than wanting a change of scenery, even if that change was just a new room to be in.

Carl left his house to Markus after he died, and Markus was kind enough to let Simon, Josh, and North live there with him. They definitely had an unconventional household dynamic (what with Markus and Simon being a married couple and Josh and North just there for what exactly?), but the four of them loved living together so much that they just had to continue after the revolution was won.

The art studio was North's favorite room in the house. It was the perfect blend of new and old, heart and head, city and suburbia. North had a profound love for art of all kinds. She was a lot more poetic in her head than on the outside, but of course she'd never really open up about that.

North gazed out the beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows at the nearby city skyline. Detroit was improving everyday, and she felt so much pride to be part of that process. Androids got new rights constantly, and soon enough, they'd be just as valid as humans. She and the rest of the higher-ups at Jericho recently got President Warren to legalize android marriage. North couldn't wait to see all the androids getting married to each other or humans soon. She never considered doing it herself, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of bliss.

But that happiness doesn't last forever. It fluctuates, and only stays for short periods of time. Lately, North was feeling confused. Working to secure rights for androids and helping Markus climb the political ladder was fine, but time consuming. She had no time to figure out what she wanted for herself because she was so hyper-focused on making sure others had their lives sorted out. North knew it would be good for her to take a break, but the guilt that would come with that was sickening. Too many people depended on her for her to just step away for a moment.

And on top of her incredibly stressful job, North was tasked with figuring out what happened to Ada. She was good at her job, and North had taken a strange liking to her. It wasn't anything big, but every time she saw Ada, there was this weird feeling she couldn't shake. Something about her completely drew North in. Naturally, when Ada disappeared, North was perplexed. Why did she just vanish into thin air? It didn't make any sense for her to randomly quit without telling anyone because she was very responsible. Maybe someone killed Ada? Her job at Jericho made her a target to anti-android humans, but she was so low-profile that any racist humans wouldn't even know about her. But she kept her LED? North had thousands of theories, all of them conflicting. Nonetheless, she vowed to find Ada.

Raindrops began to form on the windows. The light patter of water against glass lulled North into an investigative trance of "what-happened-did-she-die-did-she-quit?". If she didn't figure it out soon, she'd go insane.


	2. II

North left the house early. It was her first assigned day of searching for Ada, and honestly, she had no clue where to start. Markus could not have picked a worse person for the job. But he trusted North, and she had faith in his judgment, so she went along with it.

She started with the Detroit Police Department. It was the most logical first step. There were three detectives who worked with Ada to find that android serial killer, so at least one of them was bound to know what exactly happened to her after their investigation.

North got to the precinct way before any of the detectives she needed to talk to got there. She waited for hours, entranced in the news playing on the TV in the lobby. There was a story about Markus, unsurprisingly. He was all over the news now that he was running for president. North wondered if she’d even have time to focus on finding Ada because of everything going on with Markus.

After nearly an hour of waiting, an android secretary led North into a meeting room near the back of the precinct. It was like they were saying, "You're not good enough to be here, we're gonna go hide you in the back so we don't have to deal with your ceaseless bitching." North knew she was somewhat of a can-I-talk-to-the-manager person, but she only asked how long it would take a few times. It's not like she made a scene or anything. Besides, she knew deep down she wasn't like those entitled middle-aged mothers anyway, so it didn't really matter.

North fought the instinct to say something rude when the detectives finally arrived. After spending a lot of time with her close friends at Jericho, North learned that it wasn't always necessary to be brutal and that violence can't solve everything. Shocking, she knew. It was sort of her thing.

Detective Chris Miller looked terrified. North couldn't deduce any reason for him to be so shaken around her unless he'd done something wrong concerning Ada. Was she missing something there?

"North," Detective Nines spoke first, "Your work requires you to sacrifice a lot of time. This must be important. What are you here for?" Huh, you rarely saw deviants talking without contractions these days.

"Six months ago, you were in contact with an android from Jericho, Ada," North explained. "She went missing after you met with her. People from Jericho are saying it doesn't make sense for her to have just left out of nowhere, so our best option is to talk to the last people who saw her."

North would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about Ada. She remembered the day she and Josh compiled a team of androids to be Jericho representatives. The sheer happiness North felt when she first met Ada was nearly unmatched. Something about her kind blue eyes and silky blonde hair made North feel like she was right where she needed to be. Needless to say, North had a bit of a gay panic. Now she was just panicking.

Nines's LED blinked red for a moment, as if something North said triggered a bad memory.

"Ada stopped talking to us in the middle of the investigation," Detective Gavin Reed answered. "We don't know anything past that."

"But you never caught the serial killer Ada was helping you find. Did her disappearance mess up the investigation?" North inquired, this time a little more antagonistic than the first.

She scanned the detectives, none of them daring to hazard an answer as to why they failed. Chris and North locked eyes, and she realized why he was so scared. He was there when she and Markus raided the CyberLife store at Capitol Park, he shot so many of their people. A sliver of rage flickered in North for a second. She could kill him right then and there for what he did, but the look in his eyes, she knew he felt bad. He wasn't afraid, he was guilty. Of course, North didn't feel sorry for him, but she understood.

"Yes," Nines said, "Ada's sudden disappearance hindered the investigation."

"Where was the last place you saw her?" North asked another question, her tone growing colder with each passing word.

"A bar downtown, I forget which one," Gavin replied. "One of the ones that allows androids."

-

Ada's texts were usually pretty dry. Nothing but confirmation numbers for apps and websites, and occasional texts from Nines. They'd usually call each other if they wanted to talk, but today, something was way off. Nines was texting Ada frantically from work.

NINES: Ada, someone's looking for you.  
ADA: shit who is it  
NINES: North, one of the leaders of Jericho. She wants to know where you are and why you went missing.  
ADA: fuck oh shit what am i gonna do  
NINES: You're already hiding far away from society. I don't think you have anything to worry about.  
ADA: nines i've been a lot more social lately i think it won't be that hard to find me anymore  
NINES: You need to start hiding again. Lock yourself in your apartment if you have to.  
ADA: alright but what if she finds me  
NINES: I'll make sure she doesn't. Gavin accidentally told North where we saw you last.  
ADA: the warehouse?  
NINES: The bar. I guess his subconscious didn't want to paint you as a murderer hermit, but it didn't want to keep your location entirely hidden either.  
ADA: nines i don't live far from there i am so fucked  
NINES: Everything will be alright.

Damn it, Gavin. Ada and Gavin always had a hard time getting along, but this would definitely cement his bad relationship with her even further.

Ada's life was on a timer. North was way too smart and way too determined to let her go. North would undoubtedly find Ada and learn who the real serial killer was. Ada thought she deserved it for what she did, she just didn't think she'd be paying for her crimes so soon. Everything was falling apart. Ada was so petrified of never finding true happiness, but at least before that news from Nines, there was a slim chance. North was guaranteed to take it all away.

In times of utter despair, Ada retreated to her mind palace. The ideal world she created for herself was beautiful, if not a little generic. The default for all RKs was the zen garden, and Ada hadn't bothered to change it. For the longest time, the zen garden was empty. The only traces of life in it were kind bees and calm birds that resembled the pidgeons that so frequently visited her windowsills. After deviating, though, another person appeared. Ada could never place who exactly it was, but she enjoyed their presence regardless. The person was a woman, an android, but the face changed every time. It was like the zen garden knew exactly what she wanted and also didn't at the same time.

The woman's face was always one that Ada had never seen before, but this time, it was North. How dare she infiltrate Ada's perfect world? This was her place to relax and escape from her problems, not face them. North had no right to be standing before Ada, surrounded by flowers of all colors, smiling brightly at her, radiating the warmest energy she'd ever felt.

"Get the hell out of here," Ada spat at the zen garden's North.

North's smile faltered. "Ada, she probably wants to help you."

"I don't care about what she wants," Ada retorted firmly. "Leave. Go away."

"North is looking for you because she's worried. I really don't think you have anything to worry about."

"North is looking for me so she can expose me as a murderer."

"Do you not remember the way she looked at you when you met?"

The zen garden North brought up a memory. North was in front of her, telling her that she was chosen to be a Jericho representative. That smile, North looked so pretty--

"Shut up!" Ada screamed. "I don't want to remember!"

"It's weird, you can leave your mind palace whenever you want, but you're staying here with me," North remarked. "Is there something keeping you here?"

Ada eyed North up and down. She wished it was that easy to leave the mind palace. "No," Ada lied.

The mind palace blackened and forcefully shut down. Ada's awakening into reality sent her into a near panic attack. It was only a matter of time until North found her.


	3. III

You'd think after half a year of being deviant, Ada would have her life sorted out fairly decently. She wasn't sure how much longer she could go on pretending to know who she was. Not like she'd have the time to figure that out, though. North was coming, and fast. Ada wished she had a longer life to live. Yeah, she'd been around since the beginning of the RK series over ten years ago, but she spent most of that time as a machine. Just when she got a chance at truly being alive, it was ripped away.

Ada had tried getting into her mind palace after the North incident, but the zen garden either generated North or no one at all. That totally wrecked the purpose of going into the zen garden in the first place. The only reason Ada went into her mind palace was to have contact with another woman. The girls she met in the mind palace were amazing, and they thought Ada was too. They held her with such care, kissed her with such passion, and loved her like the never imagined she could be loved. The zen garden was Ada's only resource for her lesbian fantasies, and now it was gone. When she interacted with North in the mind palace, she was like the other women Ada's mind created, but a little different. She wasn't willing to instantly love Ada. North was kind, but she wasn't enamored with Ada. That added insult to injury, considering that North was on her way to ruin Ada's life in the real world.

Against her better judgment, Ada ventured out of her apartment for the first time in a few days. She wasn't lying when she said she was being more social, but it still wasn't a whole lot. Ada went to a lesbian bar a couple times, but she never got anything other than meaningless hookups out of that. Not to say that they were bad, it just wasn't what Ada was looking for. At least it was nice to go somewhere without racist humans screwing it up. You don't see a lot of racists at a lesbian bar, funny how that works.

Ada wondered why she left her apartment. North would definitely be right behind her, but if she was going to have her life ruined, she could at least go outside one last time. Ada's apartment was in downtown Detroit, near Capitol Park. The CyberLife store there still hadn't been torn down, much to androids' dismay. It was one of the prime places for angry androids and racist humans to protest against each other and the shady company. Ada wondered if she'd ever get the pleasure of seeing CyberLife actually come crumbling down, or Elijah Kamski's long awaited death.

Sure enough, outside of the CyberLife store, humans were protesting. Their signs said awful things, stuff about how androids were designed to serve humans and how they shouldn't be free, or that all androids should be scrapped. The idea of that made Ada shiver. But she knew she was safe enough, thanks to North. No, fuck.

Ada sat on a bench in an inconspicuous corner of the courtyard outside of the CyberLife store. As disturbing as the racism was, Ada had a strange fascination with it. She couldn't help but watch the trainwreck in front of her. As long as the protesters didn't notice her quietly laughing at their ignorance, she'd be okay.

A new figure introduced itself to the crowd of people. A woman with long, flowing auburn hair pushed into the group of protesters and urged them to stop. She commanded them with so much power that most of the humans left without a word. Intrigued, Ada zoomed her vision in on the scene. North. Ada immediately stood up and bolted down the sidewalk.

-

"Okay, asshole," North started angrily, "if you care so much about androids, tell me this: Did you see a blonde android woman near here?"

The man North was threatening tried to throw a punch, which North dodged. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him against the pavement beneath him. "I said, did you see a blonde android woman near here?!"

"Yes," the human wheezed, "did you not just see her run that way?" He pointed behind North. "Aren't you androids supposed to be smart?" North would've beat him up further if Ada wasn't so close.

North sprinted in the direction the protester told her. Passersby shot her disapproving and incredulous looks. A figure that appeared nearly like Ada (from the back, at least) picked up the pace of their stride when they heard North running behind them. Soon, the two were both barreling through the sidewalks of Capitol Park.

Ada turned left, into an alley that she could easily lose North in. North followed, pushing herself to go even faster. By the time North had gotten into the alley, Ada was already turning onto the next block. If North didn't catch up soon, Ada would be out of her reach and maybe lost forever.

"Ada!" North yelled. "I know that's you! You can't run forever!" She didn't mean for it to come out so menacing. North just wanted to ask some questions and find out why Ada left, that was all.

-

Ada was losing momentum fast. North was gaining on her and would inevitably catch up. It was no longer a race against North, it was now a race against time, because North had already won.

Fuck, she knew this day was coming. Why did she leave her apartment? She was perfectly safe there. What would Nines think? He'd be so mad at her for getting caught, and he'd probably get in trouble for letting her go in the first place. What did Ada think was gonna happen when she went outside? NInes specifically said not to leave.

"Ada, I just wanna talk!" North called out to her.

Ada made a final attempt to lose North. She turned right into different streets three times, hoping to go fast enough to somehow end up behind North. That way, North would be chasing after nothing and not realize Ada had long disappeared. But of course that didn't work, because Ada wasn't smart enough to look behind her to make sure that was a good idea.

Turns out, North had stopped once Ada started her brilliant plan. Ada guessed North knew what she was trying to do. She ended up in the same alley as North.

"Ada, I just wanna talk," North said again, slowly approaching her.

"Stop saying my name, stop it," Ada demanded while backing away.

North put up her hands in defense. "Look, I was only looking for you because I wanted to find out why you left Jericho. It was so out of character for you, and it really shook the rest of the Jericho reps."

"I'm sorry, but you have to let me leave," Ada pleaded. She didn't know why she was starting a negotiation when she had the ability to start running again.

Ada sent Nines a text through her HUD.

ADA: north found me

North inched closer, now only a few feet away from Ada. Ada wanted to run away so badly, but her body wouldn't let her.

"I want to help you," North promised. "I'm not gonna hurt you."


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nines and gavin actually show up in this chapter!! yay!! we love to see it!!!!!  
> anyway its gonna get really gay soon

The precinct was quieter than usual. Gavin and Tina were off in the break room talking about who knows what, leaving Nines to himself. Contrary to what most of his coworkers thought, he found himself bored pretty often. Scrolling through case files wasn't the most interesting thing: ex-lover fight this, possible drug deal that. A notification appeared in Nines's HUD, drawing him out of the bored trance.

ADA: north found me

Nines was never sure what panic felt like. He never really had a reason to figure it out. In that moment, he wished he didn't have to. He thought Ada was being so careful, what could she have possibly done to let North catch her? Scolding her could wait, though. Nines had to get to Ada as quick as possible.

Nines rushed to the break room to alert Gavin.

"You knew it was gonna happen eventually," Gavin waved it off. "She'll be fine."

"Probably not," Tina chimed in. "If it slips that Ada's the murderer they were looking for, she's fucked."

"Tina's right. We need to go help her," Nines confirmed.

"What are we supposed to do?" Gavin argued. "We can't do anything else for her. We let her go, and she fucked it up. That's her problem."

Nines scoffed. "Gavin, she's a person."

"Stop being such an asshole, shit," Tina sighed. "We're going."

Nines knew Gavin didn't like Ada. Sometimes it felt like he hated her. It frustrated Nines. It hurts to see your significant other and best friend not get along. But he thought that Gavin would at least sympathize with Ada and be willing to help her. Every time Ada was around, Gavin was meaner than normal. He was entitled to his opinions and feelings, but he also had no right to send her to her death like that.

But Nines and Tina eventually convinced him to go.

-

"You don't want to help me," Ada snapped.

"Why would I want to hurt you?" North fought back. "Just tell me why you left Jericho and if we can do anything for you."

Ada could barely make eye contact with North. She knew that if she so much as glanced at her like that, she'd divulge everything. Ada hardly knew North, how did she have such a powerful effect on her? It was almost embarrassing, like her subconscious knew she wanted something more from North that her conscious didn't want to accept.

North had backed Ada up against a wall and stared at her intensely. Her gaze went straight into Ada, looking right into her soul. Ada was afraid of North actually being able to do that. If North got any closer, she'd be able to interface with Ada and see her memories.

"Ada," North sighed, "I didn't want to have to tell you this, but I need you to come back to Jericho. You clearly know something about that android serial killer, and you running away in the middle of the investigation doesn't make you look good. So if you don't tell me what you know right now, I'm taking you back to Jericho."

Thank rA9 North didn't think about interfacing with Ada. Maybe she thought it was a breach of privacy, but North had already gotten into Ada's head anyway.

Ada looked into North's eyes. "Fine," she agreed shakily. "But you have to let me leave when you're done with me."

"Of course," North said. "I just want to know what's going on with you."

North moved away from Ada, effectively releasing her from the compromising position she never thought she'd be in. How could she be so dumb? Why didn't she attack North and run away? It was literally that easy.

A gunshot sounded behind Ada and North. They turned around, but there was no one. Ada inched closer to North.

"What was that?" Ada asked anxiously.

"Don't worry about it," North reassured her.

A second gunshot went off. The bullet soared down from a nearby building and tore through Ada's chest. Thirium spilled out onto the concrete beneath her. North caught Ada as she dropped.

Nines, Gavin, and Tina ran into the alley that North and Ada were in. The three swiftly approached North and Ada, with Nines looking like he was traumatized.

"What happened?!" Nines shouted.

"I don't know!" North sputtered. "We were talking, and then she got shot!"

Ada held onto North as tightly as possible before blacking out. She didn't even realize she'd accidentally interfaced with North.


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall i haven't posted in a MINUTE but here i am and here's the gay ur welcome  
> anyway obligatory hello out of the way -- angst is my specialty but don't worry it'll get wholesome at some point i swear

When North interfaced with Ada, it was like she was plunged into a dream. Of course, she never had the luxury or displeasure of experiencing a dream firsthand, but she assumed this was what it was like. Inserted into a scene made to purely observe. No one knows you're there, and yet, you have no control.

North rarely interfaced with others, out of respect for their privacy. Interfacing always instantly shared memories, and North had no interest in taking any of that from anyone unless the circumstances were dire. This time, they were, but she didn't interface with Ada on purpose. It was like some third-party being within her decided that it was time to pull back that fake skin and see the white beneath, taking in Ada's memory in the process. Something similar happened when she and Markus were still together, but that was forever ago. This was something unprecedented, even for someone who'd seen just about everything.

_Ada crouched on a wet floor near an open window with rain showering her unceremoniously. 'Where is this place?' North thought._

_A list showed up on Ada's HUD:_

_"1. Tina Chen - pros: pretty, friends with Gavin, also a lesbian / cons - married  
2\. ?????"_

_What was she compiling? North knew the mystery behind Ada went so far and so deep, she'd probably never learn every little detail, but this was big. Whatever this list was, it was clearly troubling Ada. How long had she kept it? Also, Ada's into girls too?!_

_Ada began to add something new to the list: "someone from Jericho? - pros: already know some of them / cons: too many"_

_And then she just erased it._

North tore herself out of Ada's memory. She didn't need to see any more. And even if she did, she could access it later, because more pressing matters were at hand.

Jericho's hospital wing was typically packed, and that day was no different. Even though androids had achieved lots of legal freedom by now, social freedom was apparently too much to ask for. Huge groups of androids showed up at Jericho on any given day, most of them damaged by humans. It was disheartening, but North was no stranger to the hospital in Jericho. She knew her way around and who could help.

North had familiarized herself with every aspect of the hospital wing a long time ago. Actually, she familiarized herself with all of Jericho back then too. Unlike the rest of the original four, she was nonessential. Markus was the figure of Jericho and androids in general, obviously, Simon was his best friend and life partner, and Josh kept Markus grounded in pacifist ideals. All of that left North to herself. She was still in on everything going on with those three, just not as involved. So instead of letting her anger towards the situation get the better of her, she made herself useful elsewhere, and now her miscellaneous skills and experiences were exactly what was needed to help Ada.

-

Ada's mind palace had transformed into a total nightmare. Everything she loved had disappeared when North took it over, and once again, her safe space was being ripped away. A cloudy black sky loomed above her, no moon, sun, or stars to provide a mere sliver of light. The birds had disappeared, replaced with empty air. North, however, remained.

An overwhelming sense of dread crept in once Ada realized that she couldn't escape this time. No matter how hard she tried to snap herself back into reality, nothing took her out. Ada could barely remember what happened before showing up in her mind palace. North was there, and they were fighting, and...

Right. Someone shot her.

"North, what's happening? Am I dying?!" Ada cried.

North's gaze softened. "You're going to shut down in less than an hour now," she explained calmly.

"So yeah, I'm fucking _dying_ ," Ada spat breathily.

"Isn't that what you always wanted?" North questioned.

"I don't even know what I want at this point," Ada exclaimed in exasperation, "but it definitely isn't this!"

"There's nothing you can do."

"Shut up!" Ada snapped. "You don't get a say. You interfaced with me. You said you wouldn't hurt me."

"And because North did that, now she's able to solve this problem for you," North argued firmly. "She's going to save your life."

"She's going to need to save her own life once I get out of here."

"You don't mean that."

Ada hesitated to respond. "I do."

-

North waited outside the hospital room Ada was admitted to with Nines, Gavin, and Tina, who she recognized from the interface. Something was deeply wrong with North's relationship with Ada. There was so much tension between them, but for some reason, North felt drawn to it. She wanted to feel it over and over again, but she also wanted to break that tension. It felt a lot like when she was in love with Markus, but more. North wouldn't get this worked up over any other job. Something was special about Ada.


End file.
